1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of frozen food packaging and, more particularly, to a package used for making a quick blend drink of individual portion from a frozen concentrate in the package and from a fluid mixed together in a blender.
2. Statement of the Problem
A popular drink is the "smoothie." A "smoothie" can typically be ordered from a health foods store (or made at home) by blending fruit (such as strawberries), ice and milk together. This creates an icy, refreshing and healthy drink. Commercial establishments maintain an inventory of fresh fruit, ice, and milk. The preparer has to handle the fruit which may include trimming bad areas. From sanitation and safety viewpoints, it is undesirable to have preparers handle fruit, use knives or other sharp instruments, and manually prepare a "smoothie." It also takes considerable time to prepare such a drink from scratch. Also, the size of individual portions and the quality of the drink served to customers may vary from preparer to preparer or even with the same preparer.
A need exists to enable a commercial establishment to prepare quickly a "smoothie" in a sanitary and safe environment and, yet, achieve the fresh, icy experience of a manually prepared drink. A need also exists to control the precise measure of the fruit, of the ice and of the milk into the blender so that uniformity over the portion size and quality is maintained. A need exists to eliminate storing of fresh fruit by delivering the fruit in a frozen concentrate to the commercial establishment (or home) in a single portion frozen concentrate package that can be quickly tempered and wherein the concentrate can be rapidly released from the package. A further need exists, at the location where the frozen concentrate package is filled, to provide a package that can be rapidly filled to uniform levels through self-leveling with a single dosing nozzle in a multi-compartmented package.
A patentability search on these needs was conducted which resulted in the following patents. The provision of a valley or depression between trays or compartments to self-level fluid is shown in the following patents: Jahn 2,587,852, Voigtmann 3,021,695 and Des. 190,839, Davis 3,120,112, LaLonde 4,222,547, and Hobson 4,081,122. The provision of a spacing between the bottom and sides of compartments in a tray so as to speed up release of frozen product is shown in the following patents: Wicks 1,407,614, Herrera-Casasus 4,023,768, and Cederroth 5,393,032. The use of a plastic seal over a plurality of compartments carrying food product is shown in the following patents: Peters 2,657,998, Donovan 3,530,917, Hustad 5,123,527, Cederroth 5,393,032 and Reskow 5,503,858. The following patents set forth the formation of compartments in a tray through a thermal plastic process: Donovan 3,530,917 and Seiferth 3,685,717. The Schneir 2,447,281 patent sets forth a unique cover to permit simultaneous filling of a number of compartments which is in contrast with the Peters 2,657,998 patent which requires separate fillers to fill the compartments. The following patents show a compartmented tray which upon twisting releases frozen product: Jahn 2,587,852, Peters 2,657,998, Voigtmann 3,021,695, Donovan 3,530,917, Herrera-Casasus 4,023,768, and LaLonde 4,222,547. None of the patents discussed above provide a solution to the entire problem as set forth next which satisfies all of the needs expressed above.
3. Solution to the Problem
The present invention provides a package containing a frozen concentrate in a predetermined dose or measure. The package has a plurality of equally sized-compartments with defined edges. The plurality of compartments in the package are spaced from each other by dividers formed in the top of the package with the dividers forming deep and wide tempering channels in the bottom of the package. The channels expose a large surface area in the bottom and the compartment sides of the package for rapid tempering of the frozen concentrate. The dividers between the compartments have formed gutters so as to allow the concentrate, in liquid form, to self-level upon filling. A plastic film seals the top of the package after filling.
According to the method of the present invention, a blender is used as well as providing a source of fluid such as milk. Warm water is run over (or air is exposed to) the bottom of the package and the tempering channels of the package. The seal is removed from the top of the package after tempering and the frozen concentrate is released from the package into the blender. The frozen concentrate which is released conforms in shape to the compartments of the package. The fluid is then poured into the empty package to a predetermined mark so that the package becomes a measuring device for the fluid. The fluid is then delivered from the package into the blender and the blender is activated to mix a first measure of frozen concentrate released from the package with a second measure of fluid to make the drink of individual proportion.
The package design enables the package to be filled with the concentrate, in liquid form, with a single nozzle and the gutters enable the liquid concentrate to self-level. The liquid concentrate is then frozen to form a block of frozen concentrate in each compartment. At the commercial establishment, the preparer never touches the frozen concentrate or the fluid to be added (such as milk) so as to achieve a sanitary environment. The provision of multiple blocks of the frozen concentrate with defined edges directly from the package into the blender causes a rapid blending of the concentrate with the fluid to occur. The use of the package, after releasing the frozen concentrate, to also become the measuring container for the amount of fluid to be added to the blender eliminates the requirement for a separate container to act as a measuring device and the subsequent cleaning of that container in a sanitary environment. The same package can be utilized both for dispensing the frozen concentrate in a first measure and for measuring the fluid in a second measure. After use, the package is conventionally disposed of. The drink is quickly blended in an individual portion to achieve a finished product exhibiting an icy refreshing characteristic. The drink can also be quickly blended in a household environment with a household grade blender.
In summary, at the location of filling, the package of the present invention facilitates rapid product filling through use of a single nozzle and fast freezing of a self-leveled product through provision of a large heat exchange surface area. Furthermore, at the location of use, the package of the present invention facilitates minimal tempering time, easy release or breakout of the frozen concentrate so as to achieve a rapid blend time in conventional home and commercial blenders.